Rangers are back in the Europa League, and what a fantastic opportunity it is to be back in Lisbon.
After a sensational 3-2 victory against Real Betis in Seville to secure first place in the group and set up this tantalizing matchup with Benfica, Philippe Clement has had an incredible start to his time in the dugout at Ibrox. The weekend saw the Ibrox men suffer a shocking home loss to Motherwell, but it went unpunished because of Celtic’s defeat at Hearts, where the effect from the VAR debate is still being felt.
However, Rangers has set aside their pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title in order to focus on making more incredible experiences in this competition. Not too long ago, the Light Blues defeated teams like RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund en route to the championship game, only to lose heartbreakingly to Eintracht Frankfurt in a penalty shootout. However, when the current crop attempts to repeat the entire experience beginning at the Estadio da Luz, that run will always remain in the minds and hearts of the players and supporters.
When the two teams play in their rematch in Govan next week, Ibrox will be rocking, and the supporters will be hoping for a win going into that match. Here’s how the writers for Record Sport envision the first 90 minutes of play in Portugal as they provide their bold predictions for the evening’s events.
Keith Jackson
With a full strength squad, Rangers would have had their job cut out for them in Lisbon, but the loss of so many of his most inventive attacking options has crippled Philippe Clement’s hand. However, Benfica has been playing colder than hot lately, and their own supporters will be putting a lot of pressure on them. With the tie still hanging in the balance, the Belgian manager could be able to steal a draw away from home.
Rangers 2 – Benfica 2
Gannon Michael
Although Benfica is currently struggling, they are still a very dangerous team. Rangers could benefit from an open match and return to Glasgow with a victory.
Rangers 2 Benfica 2.
Gavin Berry
The Ibrox team’s disheartening loss to Motherwell was put into perspective by the Portuguese team’s thumping of Porto over the weekend. The titans of Lisbon seem to be going through a true crisis, and Rangers have a real opportunity to take advantage of this pressure on manager Roger Schmidt.
Benfica is experiencing a problem.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that Benfica has never dropped a home Europa League match. A draw would be a fantastic outcome, but Gers might find it too much to ask to put an end to it.
Rangers 1 – Benfica 1
Burns Scott
Rangers should be able to carry over a winning performance from Lisbon into the second leg at Ibrox. They can still win there, even though Jack Butland needs to have another strong performance.
x “incentransfer prior to the “special” evening
Before the’special’ night, Fabio Silva talks about his time at Benfica and how Rangers’ star earned a £35 million transfer.
Rangers 1 – Benfica 1
Andy Newport
This is beginning to resemble a confrontation between a stoppable force and a clearly movable item, as injuries have severely limited Philippe Clement’s attacking options and weakened Roger Schmidt’s Benfica defense. However, given their recent success, Rangers ought to feel confident enough in them to secure a respectable outcome to bring back to Ibrox.
Rangers 1 – Benfica 1
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